Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - 'Rays defense lost in shuffle

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Thursday, November 18, 1999

'Rays defense lost in shuffle
Coach Hall seeking players that can end blue-line woes
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Snesar

Taylor Hall has defense on the brain.
   More specifically, the IceRays coach is consumed with his team's lack of defense.
   At 8-5-3, Corpus Christi's 19 points has the team in a three-way tie atop the West-ern Professional Hockey League Central Divi-sion. Of the nine WPHL teams in third place or better in their respective divisions, the IceRays have the worst goals-against total at 68.
   That's an average of 4.25 goals against per game.
   How bad is it?
   Of those nine teams, the next highest goals-against tally is 17 goals less than Hall's club: El Paso (8-4-2) has given up 51 goals.
   "I'm always concerned about defense," said Hall, whose team starts a four-game road trip Friday with a 7:05 p.m. game at Fort Worth. "If you're not the best defense, then I don't think you can ever be satisfied."
   Color Hall unsatisfied.
   Thus, the defensemen shuffle. Hall has signed blue liners such as Francois Pilon, Brent Currie and Miles Van Tassel, and most recently Shawn Snesar. Pilon, Currie and Van Tassel have since been waived in lieu of other, and in Hall's opinion better, defensemen such as Craig Hayden and Derek Nicolson.
   Nicolson has become the latest victim of Hall's defensive lament, and Snesar is the latest beneficiary.
   "I was back home in Vancouver in semi-retirement," said Snesar, an eight-year veteran who played the final 28 games for Corpus Christi last year. "Taylor called me a couple times and asked me if I wanted to come play. I had a great time here last year, and since I didn't really play a full season here, I thought it would be nice to come back."
   There are two areas of concern defensively, Hall said.

Play without the puck

Play with the puck
   When IceRays' opponents occupy the puck, Hall favors a man-to-man defense. The key is for every player - especially the defensemen - to stay with their man.
   "We don't get beat one-on-one too much," Hall said. "But we tend to get confused as to who our guy is. And part of our problem is that we have guys overcompensating for other guys, going over to help somebody and leaving their man open. Then that's the man that scores."
   Hall is searching for a defensive unit - forwards included - that can stay with their man when the IceRays are defending. Goal scoring has not been a problem: Corpus Christi's 63 goals are the third most in the league.
   When Hall's blue liners have the puck, he wants them to advance it to the forwards away from the crowd.
   "(We) want to advance the puck up the boards as much as possible," Hall said. "Also, you have to make sure not to turn the puck over at the blue lines. It's the turnovers at either blue line that end up killing you."
   Hall said he is working on some possible trades, so the shuffle may continue. He is a member of the popular fraternity that believes three goals or less to your opponent should equate victory for your team.
   He's right: The IceRays are 6-0 when they hold opponents under four goals.
   IceCubes
   INJURY REPORT: IceRays forward Chris Robertson remains on the injured-reserve list with a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Robertson could miss up to three more weeks, Hall said.
   Forward Brent Hoiness will miss the first two games of the four-game road trip with lower back spasms. Forward Mike Tomlinson, who suffered a mild concussion on Nov. 11, is day-to-day and could miss both games this weekend as well.
   SURVEY SAYS: The IceRays are in the process of sending a survey out to season ticket holders in search of feedback on the controversial chant heard during IceRays home games. Fans using the word "suck" at home games have been ejected and other fans have left games early in protest of the ejections.
   Mike Modugno, Corpus Christi's director of public relations, said the team hopes to have a solution by the next home game on Nov. 28.



Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]